By Hannah Ludwig, Newswire Intern 

In Toledo, Ohio, a chemical leak from a tank sent a plume of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere, causing evacuations and residents outside the evacuation area to take precautions. 

The leak happened on Oct. 20 around 10:30 p.m. at an MC Tank Terminal, which, according to The Guardian, “specializes in transporting bulk liquid chemicals and provides tank container transportation, storage and maintenance.” 

The company received a call from one of their employees who saw a plume of smoke emanating from one of the tanks. The leak was later recognized as caused by an “error that occurred when the material was being transferred,” Bryant Somerville, an Ohio Environment Protection Agency spokesperson, stated. 

The noxious chemical that the tank leaked into the air is called glycidyl methacrylate, which is an industrial chemical that is used to make some plastics, paints and coatings work more effectively. 

“The tank that exploded is able to hold 5,500 gallons of what is a liquid when it is in the tank. As it is emitted into the air, it takes the form of a gas. When it settles back down, it will resume being a liquid,” Toledo’s mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. 

Additionally, glycidyl methacrylate has a distinct smell and is a flammable substance that can also cause burning of the nose, mouth, eyes and skin. According to The Guardian, news outlets located in Toledo have reported a “visible, dense fog over the town and a lurking plastic-like odor.” 

Almost 1,000 people living in the surrounding one-mile radius of the leak were evacuated, and residents within a three-mile radius were requested to shelter in place. So far, according to CNN, there has only been one person injured by the chemical leak, a first responder who had difficulty breathing and drove himself to the hospital. 

“My mom and oldest brother still live in Toledo,” freshman criminal justice major and Toledo resident Eleanor Thomas said. “My mom was out of town during the whole explosion, so she did not have to evacuate, and my brother was outside the range that had to evacuate, so he was fine. But we had a lot of friends and family that had to leave and find people that lived way out.” 

According to the City of Toledo, the tank has ceased releasing fumes as of last Thursday. The evacuation order was lifted last Friday, although the air is still being monitored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Officials were previously worried about a subsequent explosion occurring after the leak, but they do not think an explosion is likely anymore. 

“It was weird because a couple months ago there was another explosion at a factory that killed two people in Toledo, and my mom heard the boom from it. So, Toledo is not doing well right now,” Thomas said, referring to explosions occurring at an industrial building less than eight miles from the location of the recent chemical leak.  

These successive events beg the question of what the involved companies and the city of Toledo are doing to prevent potentially harmful situations like this from happening again in the future.